toggle material requirements? would this work?

**gmitchell** · 03-19-2011, 22:26

I am new to hammock camping, I have read a great deal here and have learned a lot. I know that I want to use webbing tree huggers and whoopie slings to suspend my hammock. And I think that the toggle is the perfect way to join the two.

I have read that toggles can be made out of many things. But I am wondering what strength requirements must a toggle meet? Should the toggle be strong enough to hold my weight without breaking?

I looked for aluminum arrow shafts today to make my own toggles however no one here seems to sell aluminum arrows. However I did find some great scraps of Easton Axis full metal jacket arrows. http://www.eastonarchery.com/products/product/5 These are a combination of carbon core and aluminum outer however if I try to suspend my weight on just the short piece of the arrow it breaks in the middle.

Does anyone here use these arrow shafts as toggles?

How would I test a material to see if it it fit for use as a toggle?

Thanks.

**HangingKayaker** · 03-19-2011, 22:30

Where in Alberta are you gmitchell?

**bloomgorge** · 03-19-2011, 22:47

if you're using the arrow shaft with a marlin hitch you should be fine. you could use a stick if you wanted to. the knot is what supports your weight.

i made these because i saw a kid end up on his bum b/c he didn't check the arrow shaft and it was cocked.

**gmitchell** · 03-19-2011, 23:09

Originally Posted by ScottD

Where in Alberta are you gmitchell?

I'm in Grande Prairie.

**RePete** · 03-19-2011, 23:10

I have used sticks before and sticks do not pull out of a marlin spike well. I just break the stick and pull the knot out. The fact that you can break the shaft does not make it unfit. Someone on the forum whom I cant remember used a sharpie to see if it would work. It crushed the sharpie but the marlin spike hitch did not fail. The only way I know of to test a toggle is to use it. Just remember when you put the whoopie on the marlin spike hitch you are not putting the loop on the toggle. You are putting the loop on the knot behind the toggle. The knot takes all the load. The force on the toggle comes from the knot being pulled tight around the toggle. The only thing the toggle is really doing is preventing the marlin spike hitch from pulling out like it does when you remove the toggle.

**bloomgorge** · 03-19-2011, 23:11

well said otter

**RePete** · 03-19-2011, 23:13

Originally Posted by bloomgorge

well said otter

Are you stalking me?

**Hangandy** · 03-20-2011, 03:46

I personally love carabiners. They aren't sharp or pokey (think tear in your tarp/hammock). They are cheap and readily available. You can color code them to match which end of the hammock. You can hang other stuff off them. To be safe (never had one slide out) I clip the line through the carabiner.

For my tarp, though, I'm waiting on some Dutch COO-Ties. (Tarp Flyz).

**gmitchell** · 03-20-2011, 10:51

what if I didn't use the marlin spike hitch, I was thinking of going with a tree hugger with two fixed loops so I would simply be sliding the toggle into the loop not using a knot. Like the illustration at the bottom of this picture from whoopieslings.com

Would that still be ok? or would that put more pressure on the toggle material?

**Navigator** · 03-20-2011, 10:59

I've used tent stakes, carabiners, pens, pencils and sticks I pick up off the ground. The only failure I've ever had was when I unknowingly used a piece of rotted wood. The knot crushed the wood and down I went. I'm a big guy, and, other than that one event, sticks have worked fine for me. If you feel compelled to carry something special to use as a toggle, make sure it's multi-purpose.